Recently, Giuliana Rancic, an entertainment reporter and reality TV personality, caused some controversy by saying she puts her husband above her son. She said the best thing she and her husband, Bill, could do for their son was to have a strong marriage. That’s why she fosters a close relationship with her best friend, her husband. Many disagree. They argue that your children … helpless and vulnerable … must come before your spouse.
It’s exactly because our children ARE helpless and vulnerable that they so desperately NEED a mom and a dad who love each other in God’s way. Children are born without any ability to turn away from Satan’s power and follow the ways of God … into eternal life. Indeed, the sinful mind is hostile to God (Rom. 8:7). So, children need to be brought to faith in Jesus through Baptism and the Word of God. And, as parents promise when they bring their child for baptism, they’re to raise the child in the fear and nurture of the Lord. They do this by teaching them the Word of God. They do this by taking them to worship. They do this by loving them with the love of Jesus. THEY DO THIS BY GIVING THEM A LIVING PICTURE OF THE LOVE OF JESUS IN THE WAY THEY LOVE EACH OTHER! This is why it’s so crucially important for a husband and wife to build their own relationship as their highest priority after their relationship with Jesus Christ. When they love each other with the sacrificial, unconditional and incarnational love of Jesus, they’re teaching their children about Jesus in the best way of all. Children will learn from this living example of the Gospel much faster and more deeply than through any other method of instruction. God designed it this way. That’s living our life in God’s way.
I applaud Mrs. Rancic! She’s got it right.
[Photo courtesy of Disney ABC Television Group]